Liquid cooling apparatus



May 9, 1933. J. AsKlN LIQUID COOLING APPARATUS Filed July l, 1932 '.III

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Pat'ente May 9, 1933' PATENT OFFICE JOSEPH ASKIN, 0F BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO FEDDERS MANUFACTURING COMPANY, INC., OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK LIQUID COOLING APPARATUS Application led July 1, 1932i. p Serial No. 620,450.

This invention relates to refrigerating apparatus, and it has particular reference to a refrigerating apparatus which may be readily formed in the shape of an attractive cabinet providing means for receiving and cooling packaged material or a localized supply of liquid and also means for effectively cooling liquid flowing through the cabinet and supplied from a remote point.

The invention comprehends the provision of a cooling unit, in which a pair of cooling coils are formed in such manner as to embrace a coil for conducting the liquid supplied from a remote point, to the end that such liquid may be effectively and rapidly cooled, and the invention, in another aspect, comprehends the combination of such coils with a food or liquid container, which may be utilized for storing a localized supply of food or drink. As thus embodied in a practical structure, the invention finds application to the cooling of drinking water supplied from a city main or like *remote point, in which peak loads or demands may impose a heavy burden on the cooling apparatus, and also to the cooling of material which may be supplied to and withdrawn from the food compartment associated with the cooling unit.

In the hereinafter described lembodiment of the principles of the invention, there is provided 'a cabinet of attractive appearance which may contain the mechanical elements necessary to supply" refrigerating fluid to a pair of helical coils, disposed in series, one` yof which is disposed within, but spaced from,

the other. Interposed between these cooling coils is a separate helical winding adapted to convey liquid from a remote point, and the cooling coils and the liquid coil are'in intimate thermal contact. The compact winding of coils embraces a compartment or rement, will be made apparent from a perusal of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the single vligure of whichshows, partly in sec- -tion and partly in elevation, with portions broken away, the hereinafter described construction.

' As shown in the drawing, the numeral 10 indicates a cabinet having a horizontal partltion 11 therein, which divides the cabinet into-a cooling compartment 12 and a refrigerating mechanism compartment 13.

The compartment 13 contains the usual refrigerating mechanism including a compres-` ypipe 17. This well-known form of a dry system of refrigeration may be substituted for by any other well-known system, or the units herein located'in the compartment 13 may be remotely located from the cabinet 10, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The evaporator, generally indicated bythe i lnumeral 21, consists of a double helix formed of a length of half round tubing bent upon itself with the flattened portions in opposed and spaced relation to form a receiving pocket 22 therebetween. A. liquid receiving section of tubing 23, also formed in a helix, is`

interposed between the opposed sections of the evaporator 21, and it is preferably, although not necessarily, in the form of oval or flattened tubing havinga maximum crosssectional dimension approximately equal to the major dimension of the evaporator tubing. As shown in the drawing, the evaporator and cooling coil arrangement forms a compact tube unit which may be bent or otherwise formed into a plurality of advantageous shapes. For exemplary purposes, the heat transfer unit is shown as wound about a cylindrical receptacle 25 to form a helix substantially covering the vertical wall of the receptacle and having its inner evaporator sectlon in intimate contact therewith.

lThe terminal portions 26 and 27 of the evaporator coil engage through the parti.-

tion 11 and are connected to the pipes 18 and 17 respectively of the refrigerator unit. The opposite ends of the liquid cooling coil 23 protrude from the refrigerant conducting unit at the upper and lower portions thereof, and the upper end 30 extends downwardly for connection to a tap fitting or faucet 31 entering through the side Wall of the cabinet 10 in the compartment 12. The opposite extremity 32 of the cooling coil extends through the partition 11 to a source of liquid under -pressure (not shown) such as a city water line or a pressure supply of a beverage or the like.

Structurally, the compartment 12 is provided at its lower portion with a slab 33 of insulating material which forms a base upon which the container 25 is supported. This slab is suitably perforated to permit the ends `of the evaporator and cooling coil, as above described, to project into the compartment 13. The upper end of the compartment 12 is covered by a cap member 35 having a flange portion 36 engaging about the upper end of the walls thereof and the heat exchange unit,`

is filled with a heat` insulating substance such as granular cork or the like, which, together with the slab 33, provides an insulated casing for the heat exchange unit and the container 25.

It will be obvious that the heat exchange unit may be utilized to advantage in other arrangements; for example, Where it is necessary to insert a heat exchange unit of this type in a confined space, the coils thereof may take the form of a plurality of fiat return bends. It will also be noted that due to the high heat transfer eiciency of the sandwiched coil arrangement, the use of this unit is not necessarily limited to refrigeration purposes, but rather may be utilized to advantage wherever space demands call for this type of structure.

I claim:

1. A refrigerating apparatus comprising a cabinet havin an` insulated compartment therein, a refrigerating coil disposed in said compartment, said coil being formed of tubing having a flat face and a cylindrical face wound in the form of connected helices one disposed Within the other with the flat portions of each in opposed and spaced relation, a liquid coil interposed between said flat faces and having its outer portions in contact with said fiat faces, a receptacle disposed within the innermost of said helices, the ends of said refrigerating coil projecting from said insulated compartment for connection to refrigerating machinery, one end of said liquid coil projecting through the Wall of said compartment for connection to a source of liquid supply, the other end of said liquid coil being in communication with a faucet disposed externally of said compartment.

2. Refrigerant cooling and dispensing apparatus, comprising, in combination with a source of iuid refrigerant and a source of liquid to be cooled, a refrigerantl coil and a liquid coil, said refrigerant coil comprising a plurality of spaced helices formed by winding tubing into coil form, the ends of said helices being respectively connected to each other and to the source of said refrigerant and to a discharge line therefor, said liquid coil comprising a helix formed by Windino' tubing into coil form between said spaced helices forming said refrigerant coil, one end of said liquid coil being connected to a liquid supply line and the other end of said liquid coil being connected to a discharge line, said coils being in thermal contact. y

3. Refrigerant cooling and dispensing apparatus comprising, in combination with a source of refrigerant and a source of liquid to be cooled, a plurality of helices formed of coiled tubing, said helices being disposed one within the other, adjacent helices being in thermal contact, the ends of alternate helices being connected to each other to form a continuous coil embracing a mutually adjacent helix on both sides thereof, the free ends of one of said coils being connected toa source of refrigerant and a discharge line therefor, the free ends of the other of said coils being connected to a source of liquid and a discharge line therefor. y

4. Apparatus for cooling and dispensing liquid comprising a plurality of internested coils, one of said coils providing a conduit for liquid to be dispensed and the other of said coils providing a conduit for Huid refrigerant, each of said coils being formed from a length of tubing wrapped into a helix, the convolutions ofthe coil for liquid being disposed between the convolutions of the coil for refrigerant, the convolutions of said contact. U

5. Apparatus for cooling and dispensing liquid as set forth in claim 4,`in which the helical coils are disposed about the surface of a cylinder forming a local source of liquid1 cooled by its passage through said liquid co1 5 6. Apparatus for cooling and dispensing liquid as set forth in claim 4, in which the coils are surrounded With insulating material preventing heat exchange With the external atmosphere.

1o 7. Apparatus for cooling and dispensing liquid comprising a plurality of internested coils, one of said coils providing a conduit for liquid to be dispensed and the other of said coils providing a conduit for fluid refrigerant, each of said coils being formed from a length of tubing Wrapped into a helix, the convolutions of the respective coils being in intimate thermal contact, the contacting surfaces of said coils being attened to provide extensive areas of contact between the liquid coil and the refrigerant coil.

JOSEPH ASKIN. 

